icehockeyfandomcom-20200214-history
Rudy Pilous
Rudolf Pilous *Born: August 11, 1914 in Winnipeg, Manitoba *Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba *Died: December 5, 1994 at St. Catharines, Ontario *Position: Left Wing, Coach, General Manager, & Owner During a career than spanned more than four decades in coaching, managing, team ownership, and promotion, Rudy Pilous was a success everywhere he worked. Played with the junior Portage Terriers, who were captained by future NHL star Bryan Hextall in 1933-34. Then moved up to the senior ranks with the Selkirk Fishermen and Nelson Maple Leafs of the West Kootenay League. Also spent time with the Richmond Hawks in the England. The New York Rangers invited him to attend training camp in 1937 and after was assigned to the Blueshirts' top farm team, the New York Rovers. Pilous never shied away from the truth. After requesting an honest opinion about his NHL potential from Rangers' bench boss Frank Boucher, the former Bread Line star told he lacked big league speed. Pilous next moved to St. Catharines to play on a senior team and work for General Motors. After three years in the OHA, he spent the 1941-42 season out of hockey but was itching to return to the game. After seeing the excitement generated by the Memorial Cup match up between the Oshawa Generals and Winnipeg Monarchs at Maple Leafs Gardens, Pilous sought his own junior franchise in St. Catharines, Ontario. After much lobbying for league approval and investors, he was successful in putting the Garden City on the map. Playing career Pilous played junior ice hockey in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League before becoming a New York Rangers prospect. During 1937–38, Pilous played minor professional hockey with the New York Rovers of the Eastern Hockey League. Unable to reach the National Hockey League, Pilous played with the St. Catharines Saints, a team in the Ontario Hockey Association Senior level from 1938 to 1941. Coach and team builder In 1943, Pilous co-founded the St. Catharines Falcons, a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association. Pilous left the Falcons in 1946, spending the 1946–47 season as a scout for the nearby Buffalo Bisons. Pilous spent the 1947–48 season in Houston, Texas, winning the USHL Championship. In 1948–49, Pilous led the San Diego Skyhawks to the Pacific Coast Hockey League title. After the PCHL, Pilous returned to the team he founded in St. Catharines, now known as the St. Catharines TeePees. He coached the team to a Memorial Cup championship in the 1953-54 Memorial Cup Final, and was its general manager for the 1959-60 Memorial Cup Final victory. Pilous coached the Chicago Black Hawks from 1958 to 1963. In the 1961 Stanley Cup Finals, he led the Hawks to their most recent Stanley Cup victory. Pilous coached the Denver Invaders in 1963–64 to the Western Hockey League's Governor's Trophy. After a brief stint with the Hamilton Red Wings, Pilous was hired to be the initial general manager of the expansion Oakland Seals in 1967. Pilous was quickly dismissed by team owners, and joined the Denver Spurs of the WHL, building them into a first place team by 1972. Pilous returned to his childhood home in Manitoba, with the Brandon Wheat Kings and subsequently coaching the Winnipeg Jets. Pilous later became general manager, and led the Jets to Avco World Trophy championships in 1976, 1978 and 1979. Pilous' coaching career ended where it started in St. Catharines 43 years earlier, at the helm of the St. Catharines Saints from 1983 to 1986. Career Statistics Playing Coaching Managing Awards & Achievements *'United States Hockey League Championship (1948)' *'Pacific Coast Hockey League Championship (1949)' *'Ontario Hockey Association Junior A Hockey Championship (1954 & 1960)' *George Richardson Memorial Trophy Eastern Canada Junior A Hockey Championship (1954 & 1960) *Memorial Cup Canada Junior A Hockey Championship (1954 & 1960) *Stanley Cup National Hockey League Championship (1961) *Avco Cup World Hockey Association Championship (1976 & 1978) *Inducted into the '''Hockey Hall of Fame (1985) *Inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame (1985) *Inducted into the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame (1990) External links * Category:Born in 1914 Category:Dead in 1994 Category:Winnipeg Monarchs players Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches Category:Chicago Blackhawks coaches Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Hockey Hall of Fame Category:Canadian ice hockey players Category:New York Rovers players Category:Portage Terriers players Category:Manitoba junior hockey All-Time Roster Category:Brandon Wheat Kings coaches